Writing Illini
Fansided

Illinois Basketball: 5 burning questions for the Illini against Ottawa

By Rees Woodcock

Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood looks down court during the NCAA men’s basketball game against the Purdue Boilermakers, Sunday, March 5, 2023, at Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Ind.Purillini030523 Am6869
Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood looks down court during the NCAA men’s basketball game against the Purdue Boilermakers, Sunday, March 5, 2023, at Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Ind.Purillini030523 Am6869 /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 5
Next
Illinois basketball
CHAMPAIGN, ILLINOIS – FEBRUARY 23: Ty Rodgers #20 of the Illinois Fighting Illini reacts after a play during the second half in the game against the Northwestern Wildcats at State Farm Center on February 23, 2023 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images) /

Illinois basketball is back in action on Friday night against Ottawa in an exhibition game.

While the game doesn’t count for the record, the Illini need to use this game to tune up the team and gel a little more before the regular season starts.

It will be interesting to see what Brad Underwood does with the lineup and rotations. There are questions that could end up being answered on Friday night.

Here are five burning questions for the Illinois basketball team against Ottawa

1. What does the point guard rotation look like

During the summer exhibition games over in Spain, Illinois fans got to see what the coaching staff was thinking when it came to the point guard position.

There was a rotation of three options at the No. 1 guard spot. Illinois’ coaches had Ty Rodgers, Niccolo Moretti, and Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn all get some playing time in this role. Against Ottawa on Friday night, I will be keeping an eye out to see the timeshare of these three guards at the No. 1 guard spot.

What I believe will happen is that Rodgers is going to get the start. I could see him getting most of the shine, but throughout the game, it wouldn’t shock me to see Rodgers move to other positions on the court as well. I look for Rodgers to get around 20-25 minutes each night.

I believe Moretti will be the next point guard off the bench. He showed a ton of promise over in Spain, and the fact he joined the Illini in the middle of last season means he understands this team more than Gibbs-Lawhorn. I see Moretti getting 7-12 minutes each night.

Gibbs-Lawhorn will see time this season too, but I have him as the third option. It wouldn’t shock me to see him take a redshirt down the road, though. The future is bright for this kid.

Home/Illinois Basketball